Teams from Shanghai & Hong Kong Dominate Week 2 in AFLC

A week ago Saturday, the American Football League of China (AFLC) commenced their second week of action in China.

Clubs from all over China were in action and our recaps begin in the AFLC North division.

Shanghai Warriors 46, Chongqing Dockers 6

The day’s first matchup featured the two 2013 AFLC finalists, and the Warriors struck early and often to bury the shorthanded Dockers, who traveled with only 16 players on the squad.

The host Warriors, after receiving a first week bye, found the end zone three times in the first quarter, including a 32-yard strike from quarterback Tim Gomez to wideout Yang Qu, and a 68-yard quarterback keeper by Kevin Cook, who usually operates at running back.

The Dockers soldiered on throughout the warm, humid afternoon, but their lack of manpower as well as experience proved to be their undoing, as they also suited up a number of first-time players. Safety Danny Zhang picked off Dockers quarterback Hao Lu’s pass, taking it 79 yards to the house to end the third quarter, and Herbert Sheng recorded his first touchdown in a Warriors uniform on a 3-yard swing pass to cap off the scoring for the hosts.

Chongqing was finally able to get on the board just minutes before the final whistle, as Lu aired one out deep down the right sideline, finding Yuanfeng Liu, who sprinted the rest of the way for the team’s only score of the day.

Shanghai Titans 42, Chengdu Pandamen 14

The visiting Titans provided a reality check for the Pandamen, as they grounded and pounded their way to a 1-1 record, utilizing a bruising ground game.

Running back Jerry Zhang continued his strong start to the season, bulldozing his way to 187 yards on 20 carries, to go along with four touchdowns behind the Titans’ mammoth offensive line. The Titans also utilized their shiftier, change-of-pace backs in the ground game, as Lawrence Wu & Xiangye Hong rounded out the scoring for the visitors.

The Pandamen showed promise on the offensive side of the ball however, as wideout Yujiang Zhang, who finished with 3 catches for 72 yards, hauled in a 25-yard score from Stefan Daniels early in the second quarter. Daniels rushed for 104 yards on 8 carries with a score from the quarterback position, and provided one of the plays of the year when he hurdled Titans cornerback Sibo Chen on a 10-yard run in the second quarter

AFLC South

Hong Kong Warhawks 35, Guangzhou Apaches 6

The Warhawks solidified themselves as true playoff contenders following a thorough victory over the host Apaches.

Employing a balanced attack, the Warhawks kept the Apache defense off balance, as running back Ka Chun Yip led the way with two rushing touchdowns. Wing Kit Leung added another score on the ground, while wideouts Sahil Arora and Jan He Wong both recorded scores through the air. Quarterback Jason Yeung finished with two passing touchdowns and an interception.

The Apaches used a more ground-oriented attack, and drove into Warhawks territory numerous times, but failed to advance the ball further. Fullback Matthew Bunney was the source of most of Guangzhou’s offense on the day, and when the Apaches did try to pass, the results were disastrous, as Ho Man So and Ka Kit Lam both recorded interceptions for the Warhawks. The Warhawks’ victory moved them to 2-0 on the season, the first AFLC team to reach that mark.

Hong Kong Cobras 57, Hong Kong Combat Orcas 0

The Cobras offense finally reached its potential in this Hong Kong derby, as they recorded six touchdowns, along with three defensive touchdowns, to blow out the Combat Orcas.

Leading the way for the Cobras was quarterback Elias Hammiche, who tossed four touchdowns, two to Dandy Dealino and two to Thomas Man, who also returned an interception for a touchdown. Henry Yim led the ground game with two scores of his own to round out the Cobras’ offensive output.

Defensively, Carlos da Silva added another pick six, and Terry Sibanda returned a fumble for a score, while Man, who was all over the field for the Cobras, also recorded a sack. The Cobras joined their Hong Kong rivals the Warhawks at 2-0 on the season, holding the league’s two best records of the young season. The Warhawks have a week 3 bye, while the Cobras will take on the Guangzhou Apaches on September 12th on home turf. The two teams will collide in week 4, on October 17th, in what should be a highly entertaining matchup.